First timer Trip Report Dec 22, 06- Jan 4, 07

I learned in this forum when going to Bonaire I should bring cash, patience and a sense of humor. Jose’ the rental agent at Bonaire Oceanfront Apartments appreciated this when I told her that I had arrived prepared and she then advised me I that to fully enjoy my stay then I should leave my cash, use my patience and share my humor.
No better advice could I have been given or could I share.

We had the best vacation possible!

Not everything was perfect mind you but using the above advice set my compass for the most enjoyable vacation our family has ever had. I watched people walk out of restaurants in a huff for a variety of reasons but I didn’t need too I had patience and a sense of humor and – it was Christmas week dang it give the folks a break! We could have allowed ourselves a meltdown after our Christmas day sail trip fell apart but we applied our sense of humor and instead explored some new snorkel sites.
There were too many great surprises. We enjoyed the hustle of Christmas week, the noise of the fireworks surrounding New Years, snorkeling on our own, walking to restaurants, exploring the National Park, drift snorkeling Klein Bonaire, snorkeling with Renee at Salt Pier and Windsock. Yes, we did snorkel a lot.
Catching up with work and family and the local gossip at Chat and Browse (thank you Michael) was our only connection with our lives at home and we limited that to the minimum. My wife and daughter only stayed 8 nights and our final evening together included dinner on the pier at Richard’s – it was unforgettable.
We are not big vacation shoppers however we all appreciated the variety offered by the few shops we visited. The gals especially enjoyed Bonaire Affair. My son and I were fortunate to stay on for a few days. We filled the time becoming certified open water divers with Yellow Submarine. We also greatly enjoyed two boat dives with G and Albert off Klein Bonaire, Wow! Staying on a few days past New Years allowed me to enjoy some quieter days also, Wow!
The quality of dining choices came as a big surprise we were always happy. I will make a few more postings under appropriate topic headings so I will finish by once again expressing my appreciation to the people who make Bonaire Talk possible. Thanks.

Tom_B
PS - Make a contribution to Bonaire Talk!

Wow Tom, I think you just made the best contribution to Bonaire Talk that you could have .. what a GREAT report!!! Thank you so much.. and great advice BTW!!!

(Message edited by scubahb on January 5, 2007)

Tom, ditto to what Freddie said Glad you had a good time and kept your sense of humor...and congratulations on your OW! How cool! Snorkeling will never be the same now Looking forward to the rest of the report

Nice report Tom, thank you for taking the time.

Your report brought a smile to my face, indeed! Thanks for posting.

Enjoyed your report very much, sure made me have PBD but that is ok. Loved your advice, we practice it every time we are on Bonaire, it makes for a more enjoyable time.

Andy

Wonderful report. I will certainly try to emulate your attitude..Sometimes the "patience" part trips me up!

Hi, Tom! So nice to hear you and your family had a great time on Bonaire.

Your compliments on the food/restaurants holds a lot of weight (no pun intended!) as I see by your profile that you are restauranteur, yourself.

I know you and your family will be talking about your first trip quite a bit....at least until your return to wonderful Bonaire.

I think we now have another Bonaire Addict amongst our midsts! Welcome to the Board and to Bonaire. Carole

PS There just aren't enough nice things to say about Michael, are there?! cb

Excellent report, Tom! I appreciated the inclusion of your impressions as much as the details of what you did.

Glad to hear you "Get It" as to the best way to enjoy Bonaire. Patience, humor, just enjoying island time. Not all do and thats why they leave disappointed. Their loss. Our gain. Welcome to PBD

Smack

(Message edited by smack on January 5, 2007)

(Message edited by smack on January 5, 2007)

Tom - very well said! So glad you & your family had a good time. And, congratulations to you & your son. Bonaire is a very special place & it sounds as though you've found that special tranquility Bonaire has to offer. That's a great attitude for island traveling too - you can't go wrong!
Thanks again for your report

Tom - so glad that you and your family had a great time on Bonaire - and truer words were never spoken. Bring cash, patience and a sense of humor and all is well. And yes, the bustle of the holidays on the island is kind of fun and then when it is over - wow - what a difference.

So glad that you enjoyed yourselves. BTW - were you on the cams? If so a date and time would be good and we'll "find" you.

Let us know when your next trip is planned.

Well Mara - yes and no. I am sure we were on the Downtown Cam more then a few times and we also looked up in the direction of the Windsurf Cam but I couldn't guess the date and time. We were way too busy having a good time. I enjoyed meeting Michael and also met Tribs while at the Chat n Browse. Next time I will try to slow down enough to get on the cam.

Thanks great report, I have packed my patience and sense of humour ready for next week

Wow, Tom, I second that emotion. On my 14 trips to Bonaire, I could probably give some sage advice to people as well. However, patience is not something I ever really thought about giving to other people as advice. It is so true.

If I may add my humorous story about patience in the islands, please indulge me. One of my first trips to the Caribbean was to the island of Granada. We stayed at this little all inclusive place, and the name escapes me. I just met this guy from Maryland down by the pool, and we went up to the little bar to get a beer. We had both arrived about an hour before this. There were two guys sitting on the cooler, who were in no rush to stand up and say, "Yes sir, may I help you." Finally, either Ed or I said, "Hey guys, can we get a couple of beers?" They started arguing with each other as to whose turn it was to get up and serve. It was hysterical. We both lost it and couldn't stop laughing. I think the two cooler huggers finally saw the ludicrous way they were acting and started laughing too. From then on, whenever either of us came up to the bar, they were right there. Patience is a virtue for sure. Getting angry at those two would not have made matters better at all. You just have to laugh and think, "I'm here, I'm not home in the hustle bustle of our world."

Tom,
Great report, so glad to hear you had such a good time and congrats to you and your son on your OW!!!

Great report Tom! Looks liked you're hooked along with the rest of us! Congrats on your OW cert! It just keeps getting better!

Yes Tom, a big congratulations on your OW cert. No better place on the planet to do your check out stuff. My son, Tim, just got his cert on Bonaire about 3 years ago. He also did the whole course in 3 days at the Dive Inn. It was great diving with him out on Klein for his first real dive.

Unfortunately, it was the same time and year that we lost a father and son up at Karpata. The son had just been certified. There was also a wind reversal that year. Many of our Bonairean friends thought it might have been Tim and I, as the dad and I were the same age, etc. It was so sad. Friends were stopping around to see if we were OK. I still think about them.

(Message edited by JimMc on January 6, 2007)

Bittersweet memories, Jim. Makes a vacation place extra special when you make friends locally who care enough to check up on you when they suspect a problem.
Your story about Granada reminded me about a story in Aruba this summer. My trip to Bonaire was in the middle of a month trip to Aruba. When I got back from Bonaire, several large flights had just arrived from the US and one from South America. The car rental places were absolutely nuts. I checked into mine - long wait, saw the chaos, piled my suitcases up, and sat on the curb to enjoy people watching while I waited for my car (I'm a 60's child!). Things got ugly - tempers flared. There really was not much anyone could do but be patient. The car rental employees were really were doing their best to accommodate everyone. Thanks to my trip to Bonaire - I was at peace, and frankly found all the hoopla amusing. I did notice though, that those loosing their tempers were very condescending and insulting and that 15 minutes or half an hour here or there really would not have made any difference to their plans. Many forget, or don't care, that most people on Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao speak and understand Spanish and English, and Dutch! Two harried young men sat down next to me on the curb while waiting for their next chore and we started trading amusing observations. After a few minutes of hilarious "sharing", one got up, went into my rental car office, came out with a key, and said: "We got you a car. The others can wait. Thanks for the conversation!" A good time was had by the three of us for that little while - a mini sanity break!
Thanks for your reports Tom. So true, so true. Cash (whenever possible), patience and humour!

Thank you all for your kind words of appreciation,comradarie and a couple of great anecdotes. I have not yet suffered the dreaded PBD so often mentioned in posts. I have adversely continued to enjoy a PBS of sorts(post Bonaire serenity).
Since returning and posting my report I have reflected often on this serenity frequently and have come up with a New Year's resolution. Yes, I am a bit tardy but I am not "big" on resolutions anyway so please give me a break.

I shall strive to perfect the practice of patience.

Humor is an inbred family malady which needs no prompting. Cash I will reserve for my next Bonaire trip. Patience on the other hand for me takes work but I believe the benefits enormous.

Tom,

Well-said. Sorry we did not meet, as we were on island same dates.

I find that the impatience and hurry-up that comes with living in the most densely populated state in the country melts quickly on Bonaire but is hard to keep at bay on returning home. Nonetheless, worth the effort.

Congratulations on your OW cert, and good luck with your resolution.

Great report Tom - personally I think the patience and humor come in handy in most cases
Congrats on the OW and the new-found serenity!